IBARRA, ECUADOR (Oct. 13, 2017) – Friday the 13th did not bring bad luck for the Canadian team on their first day of finals at the Pan American Championships as the team completed the day with a total of 9 medals out of 10 races, including 5 gold medals.

“The future of these young athletes is very promising, and I am very excited to see them improve during the sprints in the next few days in Ibarra,” said Mark Granger, National Development Coach at Canoe Kayak Canada. “I look forward to seeing the athletes give their everything again and I believe we can win the overall title if we continue to battle the way we did today,” he added.

The Canadian team achieved excellent results today over the 1000 meters the distance. Despite the high altitude of the competition site, the Canadian athletes managed to win 5 golds, 1 silver and 3 bronze medals.

Photo: Max Finkelstein

Photo: Max Finkelstein

Sophia Jensen (Cascade, ON) and Isaac Finklestein (Rideau, ON) both paddled to gold in the Junior Men’s and Women’s C1 1000m. Women’s canoe athletes once again proved their strength as Kate Pennyfather (Burloak, ON) and Marlee MacIntosh (Maskwa, NS) grabbed gold in the C2 1000m event.

The Men’s and Women’s K4 teams each gave a solid performance by powering to the top of the podium as well. “Both teams have shown a great improvement over the course of the season, and this result is very representative of their efforts throughout the summer,” said Graham Barton, Technical chief officer of the Canadian team.

A complete list of our athletes’ results can be found on the Canoe Kayak Canada website: http://canoekayak.wpengine.com/event/sprint-pan-american-championships/

Races will continue tomorrow with the 500 meters event and Sunday with the 200 meters events.

       Photos: Max Finkelstein

About Canoe Kayak Canada

Canoe Kayak Canada is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 24 Olympic medals, and a leader in the Paralympic movement. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization that includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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For more information :
Joannie Verret
Communications Coordinator
jverret@canoekayak.ca
(418) 271-3785